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M. H. DE'MENT.- y METHOD 0F lBEAING MAT-BIX FORMS POR STBRBOTYPING.

No. 265,918'. Patented Oct. 10, 1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEreEe MERRITTH. DEMENT, OE BROOKLYN, New YORK.

METHOD OF PREPARING MATRIX-FORMS FORSTEREOTYPING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,918, dated October 10, 1882.

Application filed January 14, 18852. (No model.)

To ttt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MERRrr'r E. DEMENT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city ofBrooklyn, county ot' Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin the Method of Preparing Type- Matrix Forms for Stereotyping; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, t'ormin g a part of this specification. l

My invention relates to the arts of printing and stereotyping, but more particularly to matrix-forms composed of strips and pieces of strips ofpaper or other material in which typeindentations have been made.

The object of my invention is to till up even or nearly even with the surface of the matrix side of the form all the spaces or open places therein, (excepting the type-indentations,) meaning the spaces between the ends of the pieces of strip forming lines, the spaces between the lilies themselves, and the spaces at the ends of short lines, whereby the matrix from which the stereotype-plate is to be made shall be rendered perfectly free from spaces or open places, so that the stereotype-plate when made shall present no prominenccs which would print' .im-NV l v I otherthan those made by the type-indentations.

My invention consists in preparing a suitable iiluid or plastic material, which, when hardened on exposure to heat or air or otherwise,

will be suitable for making stereotype-plates from, and forcing this material, while in ayielding condition, between the strips and pieces of strips, as aforesaid, so as to fill all unnecessary openings or spaces in the matrix-form, leaving no places, exceptthe type-indentations in the strips themselves, where the molten stereotyping material could run in and thus form prominenees on the plate. Such fluid or plastic material may be made from various substances, such as clay, pipe-clay, kaolin, plaster-of-paris, paper-pulp, and many others or combinations of tvvo or more of them, the essential points being to have a material which is or can be made iiuid or plastic, which can be hardened, and from which a'stereotype-plate can be made.

I do not mean to limit myselt' to any partielllar material or combination, nor to those above named, there being apparently many substances which will answer.

The material may be applied to the back of the form or to the face. To apply it to the back of the form the form may be reversed `a n d laid, with the type-indentations down, upon a solid dat surface, the strips and pieces of strips being securedin place when necessary by using an adhesive substance upon the flat surface or upon a paper or cloth, and laying the latter under the form on the flat surface. Fig. 2 represents the form thus inverted. The material may then be applied by spreading it evenly upon a holder (such as thick pastboard or a thin board, the holder being allowed to remain to strengthen the matrix and make it capable ot' preservation) andlaying theholder thus coated upon the back of the matrix, using any necessary pressure to force the material into all the spaces, so asv to ll the same compactly; or the operation may be reversed by pressing the form into a layer of the filling material, the face ot' the form being iirst secured to a flat surface.

ln applying the nmterial to the l'uce ot' the matrix-form a ribbed mold should be used, the ribs titting securely over the lines ot' indentations andthe material being poured or pressed in the openings between the ribs or lilies. lhis process may cause ridges between the lines on the face ot' the matrix. The forni when filled should be hardened by baking, exposure to air,

or otherwise, according to the material used. The Hat surface and paper (if paper be used) are removed, and the form is ready for stereotyping.

lhe essential features of my invention therefore consist in filling the spaces in the matrixform between the strips and between and at the ends of strips in any suitable manner with a fluid plaster or other material, which may be caused by pressure or otherwise to readily and oompactly lill such spaces, and which is then susceptible of being hardened, so that one or more stereotype-plates may be made from the form, it being important that the material should not be of such a nature that the molten stereotyping metal when poured on would melt or deform it. The matrix-form after it is iin- IOO ished should present a practically-smooth surface, excepting the type-indentations, all the spaces, as shown in Figs. l and 2, being iilled by the material.;

Referring to the drawings hereto annexed, Figure 1 represents a portion ot' a page or. colnmn form showing spaces. Fig. 2 represents the same reversed, so that the material may be applied to the back, the type-indentations being supposed to be underneath. Fi. 3 is a face View of the form. as in Fig. l, after the spaces have been filled with the material, the dotted lines representing the outlines of the strips as embedded in the material.-

I claim that by the use of my process typeniatrix strips can be corrected, put in page,

column, or other forni, and justified more rapidly than by any known process oi' filling or avoiding the open spaces.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The method of preparing a matrix-form composed of type-indented strips for stereotyping, which consists in securing said strips on a support and applying to the spaces between the lines, and between and at the ends of said strips,ailuid or plastic material for l'lin g said spaces, and allowing the same to harden, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of January, 1882.

MERRITT H. DEMENT.

Witnesses:

FREDERIC M. ADAMS, GEORGE J Essor CHAMBERS. 

